"Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Patch 1.2.3 Nerfs Maelle's Stendahl Build"

Sandfall Interactive, the developer behind the acclaimed role-playing game *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33*, has rolled out Patch 1.2.3 across all platforms. This update brings a comprehensive list of fixes and significant balance adjustments, notably nerfing what was considered the most overpowered build in the game. You can find the detailed patch notes below.

Although Sandfall had initially planned to focus solely on bug fixes without early balance changes, the overwhelming power of one particular build prompted them to act. "Well, Stendhal did," they stated, referring to the build centered around the young fencer Maelle and her sword Medalum. This combination, which unlocked the Virtuose Stance with a 200% bonus damage, was being exploited with ability-stacking and the Stendhal skill, allowing players to inflict billions of damage and defeat the final boss in a single hit.

Sandfall acknowledged the misstep, explaining, "It was underwhelming for most of development, so in our final pre-release balance pass, we gave it a big damage boost — and clearly overdid it. It ended up overshadowing most other options." The developer reassures players that while they still encourage creative and powerful builds, the Stendhal skill needed to be brought in line with other options to maintain game balance.

The nerf sees Stendhal's damage reduced by 40%, positioning it as a strong but more balanced single-hit skill with great synergy potential. Additionally, the patch corrects a bug with Medalum's third Lumina, which was incorrectly doubling all damage in Virtuose Stance instead of only doubling Burn damage.

Relevant Patch Notes for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Update 1.2.3

• Fixed Medalum third Lumina doubling all damage in Virtuose Stance instead of doubling only Burn damage.
• Stendhal: Reduced damage by 40%.

Maelle Outfits and Haircuts - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

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*Clair Obscur: Expedition 33* has emerged as a breakout hit for Sandfall, boasting sales of over 2 million copies. Its launch coincided with Bethesda's *The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered* as a day-one Game Pass title, making its commercial success even more remarkable. The simultaneous release of these two RPGs did not hinder their mutual success, demonstrating the strong demand for quality role-playing games.

The game's success has even caught the attention of French President Macron, who has publicly praised the development team. For those diving into *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33*, be sure to check out our tips to enhance your gaming experience.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Update 1.2.3 Full Patch Notes

Steam Deck

• Fixed backgrounds of various menus not displaying properly on the Steam Deck.

Various Ultrawide Fixes

• Gameplay no longer becomes zoomed after a cutscene occurs in ultrawide resolutions.
• The Options menu image will no longer be stretched in ultrawide resolutions.
• Combat UI now adapts correctly to ultrawide resolutions.
• Game will no longer minimize upon changing settings in ultrawide resolution.
• Cutscenes won’t letterbox in 32:9 aspect ratio.
• Title screen now displays fullscreen when the game is launched in ultrawide resolution.

Mouse and Keyboard

• UI button prompts in Expedition Menu are now visible and fully able to be triggered with Keyboard.
• Mouse buttons do not become unresponsive after first use.
• With mouse cursor on screen, using 'WSAD' or directional arrows to navigate in UI or trigger any other functionality will no longer hide the cursor instead of doing the intended action.
• Left Mouse-button click will no longer block the player from using Keyboard to navigate menus.
• Mouse input is not lost after the first Jump counter attack if it is pressed only once.

Fixed areas of the world map where you can get stuck:

• Between lanterns scattered on the ground near Stone Wave Cliff portal.
• While walking on the ship wreck near the Forgotten Battlefield level entrance.
• Between lanterns on the ground near Bourgeon encounter next to Stone Wave Cliffs level.
• Between two small rocks located between Spring Meadows and Abbest Cave.
• Between vases and corals when jumping from rooftopps.
• Between various rocks.
• In ruins behind Flying Manor level entrance.
• Near the bridge between Flying Waters and Spring Meadows.
• In the rocks on the World Map, near Flying Waters.
• Next to hardened land, close to the Flying Waters location exit.

Fixed situations where Esquie specifically would get stuck (poor guy):

• When taking off from paint bridges, making him fall through the bridge and restrict movement.
• When flying into bottom parts of levitating structures near Visages.
• Near the Flying Waters entrance level.
• Near a giant hammer when traversing close to Blades' Graveyard level.

Weapon and skill fixes and tuning:

• Fixed Lithelim attribute scaling not working at high level. Reduced initial Vitality scaling from A to C (will still end at S at max level). Added Luck scaling starting at D.
• Fixed Blizzon attribute scaling not working at high level. Reduced initial Luck scaling from B to C (will still end at S at max level). Added Defense scaling starting at D.
• Fixed Medalum third Lumina doubling all damage in Virtuose Stance instead of doubling only Burn damage.
• Stendhal: Reduced damage by 40%.

Other fixes

• Boss encounter in Stone Wave Cliffs can now be finished on NG+.
• You will no longer be blocked by the Journal UI window after opening the first Journal in the Spring Meadows.
• Fixed being unable to shoot in Free aim while exploring levels due to worn triggers.
• Lune and Monoco no longer spawn in same place during end of theirs Level 6 relationship quests if they are completed without going to camp.
• If at camp you pick "remember the objective", then quickly choose to "go to sleep" and immediately after press "leave", the screen no longer goes black.
• You can no longer trigger the "Discovering the truth" cutscene in Old Lumière a second time in a row, splitting the party forever with only Verso and Maelle in it.
• Update to rolling credits.